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Medigap Trial Right: Your One-Year Path Back From Medicare Advantage

Reviewed by Russell Noga, Licensed Medicare Insurance Broker (all 50 states) — Last updated November 8, 2026

The Medigap trial right lets you leave a Medicare Advantage plan within your first 12 months and buy a Medigap policy with no health questions, as long as it is your first time in Medicare Advantage. It covers two cases: you joined Medicare Advantage or PACE when first eligible at 65, or you dropped a Medigap policy to try Medicare Advantage for the first time.

2027 by the Numbers

12 months

length of the trial period after you first join (CMS)

63 days

latest you can apply for Medigap after the old coverage ends (Medicare)

60 days

earliest you can apply before it ends (Medicare)

Medicare lets you try Medicare Advantage without locking yourself out of Medigap forever, but only once and only for a year. After that, most states let Medigap insurers ask about your health, charge more for conditions or turn you down. That makes the trial right one of the most valuable and most often missed protections in Medicare.

This page lays out the two federal trial right situations, the exact deadlines, which policies you can buy, and what to gather before you apply. It is a different rule from the 30-day Medicare Supplement free look period, which lets you return a new Medigap policy for a refund.

✔ Licensed in all 50 states
✔ Based on CMS 2027 data
✔ Free plan comparison

Key Highlights

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The right applies only to your first time in Medicare Advantage or a Medicare SELECT policy.

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It ends 12 months after you join or when you leave the plan, whichever comes first.

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You can apply for Medigap from 60 days before your Advantage coverage ends to 63 days after.

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If you dropped Medigap to try Advantage, you can get your old policy back if the same insurer still sells it.

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The Two Situations the Trial Right Covers

Federal guaranteed issue rules list two trial situations. They sound alike, but they protect different people and lead to different policy choices.

Trial right 1: joined at 65 Trial right 2: dropped Medigap
Who it protects People who joined Medicare Advantage or PACE when first eligible for Part A at 65 People who left a Medigap policy to join Medicare Advantage or a Medicare SELECT policy for the first time
Time limit Within the first year of joining Less than a year in the new plan
What you can buy Any Medigap policy sold in your state by any insurer Your former policy if the same insurer still sells it; otherwise Plan A, B, D or G (C or F if eligible before 2020)
Health questions Not allowed Not allowed
Pre-existing condition wait Not allowed Not allowed

Based on the guaranteed issue chart in the federal guide Choosing a Medigap Policy (2026 edition).

First time only: If you were in Medicare Advantage years ago, went back to Original Medicare and now joined again, the trial right does not apply a second time.

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Deadlines That Decide Whether You Keep the Right

CMS describes the matching special enrollment period as ending after 12 months of enrollment or when you disenroll from the Advantage plan, whichever comes first. The Medigap side has its own window tied to the date your Advantage coverage stops.

60 days before

earliest you can apply for Medigap ahead of your Advantage end date

63 days after

latest you can apply once your Advantage coverage has ended

Month 12

last month of the trial period itself

The federal guide also notes that your rights may last an extra 12 months in certain circumstances. Your state insurance department can tell you whether that applies to you.

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A Sample Calendar for Someone Who Joined at 65

Here is how the dates line up for a hypothetical person whose Medicare and Advantage plan both started on March 1, 2026. The exact dates depend on your own start date and the date your plan confirms your disenrollment.

Date What happens
March 1, 2026 Medicare Advantage coverage begins; the 12-month trial clock starts
Fall 2026 Good time to decide, before the trial runs short
Up to 60 days before the chosen end date Apply for Medigap so the new policy can start the day Advantage ends
By late February 2027 Leave the Advantage plan using the trial special enrollment period and pick a Part D plan if you need drug coverage
Within 63 days after Advantage ends Final deadline to apply for Medigap with guaranteed issue

Illustration only. Confirm your own dates with your plan and Medicare before acting.

Avoid a gap: Line up the Medigap start date with the day your Advantage plan ends, so you are never without supplemental coverage.

Getting Drug Coverage When You Leave

Medigap policies sold today do not cover outpatient prescriptions. If your Advantage plan included drug coverage, leaving it ends that coverage too. A matching special enrollment period lets you join a stand-alone Part D plan when you return to Original Medicare.

When you return to Original Medicare

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Choose a Part D plan at the same time you leave the Advantage plan

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Check that your drugs are on the new plan’s formulary

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Part D’s out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 in 2027, with a maximum deductible of $700

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Going without creditable drug coverage for 63 days or more can lead to a late enrollment penalty

Proof to Gather Before You Apply

Insurers may ask you to show that you qualify. The federal Medigap guide advises keeping letters, notices, emails or claim denials with your name on them, plus postmarked envelopes that show when papers were mailed.

1

Your Advantage enrollment letter Shows the date you first joined, which proves you are inside 12 months.

2

Disenrollment confirmation Shows when your Advantage coverage ends or ended.

3

Old Medigap paperwork If you dropped a policy, keep the policy page or final bill showing the insurer and plan letter.

4

Medicare card Confirms your Part A and Part B start dates.

5

A note of your deadline Write down the 63-day cutoff so the application is not late.

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Situations the Trial Right Does Not Cover

Covered by the trial right

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First Advantage enrollment at 65, leaving within a year

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First switch from Medigap to Advantage or SELECT, leaving within a year

Needs a different rule

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Leaving after more than 12 months

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A second try at Medicare Advantage

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Your Advantage plan leaves your area, which falls under a separate guaranteed issue right

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Returning a new Medigap policy for a refund, which is the free look

If your Advantage plan is ending or leaving your county, you may qualify under a different guaranteed issue situation. Our page on guaranteed issue Medicare Supplement rights lists those cases.

States That Add Protections on Top

The federal trial right is a floor. Some states give more. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and New York require insurers to offer at least one Medigap policy to applicants regardless of health. Delaware’s 2025 law, effective January 1, 2026, lets Advantage members who return to Original Medicare during the October 15 to December 7 or January 1 to March 31 windows buy any Medigap policy sold in the state, though insurers there may rate the policy individually and apply a pre-existing condition wait.

Check your state: Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program can confirm whether local rules give you more time or more plan choices than the federal minimum.

If you are past the trial year and have health conditions, read changing from Medicare Advantage to Medigap and our guide to Medigap underwriting questions before applying.

Bottom Line

The Bottom Line

The Medigap trial right is a one-time, 12-month window for first-time Medicare Advantage members to get back into Medigap without health questions. Apply between 60 days before and 63 days after your Advantage coverage ends, and pick a Part D plan at the same time. Once the year is up, most states let insurers use your health to decide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

➤ How long is the Medicare Advantage trial period?

It lasts 12 months from the date you first join, or until you leave the plan if that happens sooner. After that, the guaranteed issue right tied to the trial is gone.

➤ Does the trial right work if I joined Medicare Advantage at 67?

The first trial situation is written for people who joined when first eligible at 65. If you instead dropped a Medigap policy to join Advantage for the first time, the second situation can apply at any age.

➤ Can I get my old Medigap policy back?

Yes, if the same insurer still sells it in your state. If it does not, you can buy Plan A, B, D or G from any insurer, or C or F if you were eligible for Medicare before 2020.

➤ Will I pay more because of my health?

No. When you use a trial right, the insurer cannot charge more for health conditions or make you wait for coverage of a pre-existing condition.

➤ Can I use the trial right twice?

No. It is tied to your first time in Medicare Advantage or a Medicare SELECT policy, so a second Advantage enrollment does not create a new trial.

➤ Is the trial right the same as the free look period?

No. The free look gives you 30 days to return a new Medigap policy for a refund, while the trial right lets you buy Medigap after leaving Advantage.

➤ What if I miss the 63-day deadline?

You lose the guaranteed issue right. You can still apply, but in most states the insurer may ask health questions and can decline you.

➤ Do I need a new drug plan when I leave?

Usually yes. Medigap does not cover prescriptions, so pick a stand-alone Part D plan when you return to Original Medicare to avoid a coverage gap.

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Find & Compare Plans Online

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